It’ll be rough-hewn, last-minute, lots of fun and oh so literary. See you there! (BYO beret)

Even if you can’t make it, please let your friends, members, associates, customers, subscribers and/or literary heroes (delete as necessary) know about the Melbourne Literary app and its celebration of our word-obsessed city!

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The iPhone app that uncovers Australia’s City of Literature:

MELBOURNE LITERARY

THE SHORT STORY
What? Melbourne Literary app for the iPhoneWhy? To celebrate Australia’s only UNESCO City of Literature via an easy-to-use guide to the city’s bookshops, writers, publishers, literary events, literary locations, and literary-themed cafes, bars and public art.
How much? Only $3.99.Where? From the App Store.More?www.iwriter.com.au/apps

THE FULL STORY
Whether you’re based in Australia or in far-flung foreign climes, this app created by Melbourne writer Narrelle M Harris will take you on an inspiring journey down Melbourne’s literary byways.

You’ll encounter great writers and entertaining books at every turn, be they fiction or non-fiction.

This app can be used in many ways. On a rainy day, curl up in a armchair at home and read about Melbourne’s fine writers, or use the list of books set in the city to compile your next library list.

When the weather improves, head out on Melbourne’s streets to discover literary locations, funky bookshops, forgotten monuments and cool “hip lit” cafes.

What’s in the Melbourne Literary app?

For about the price of a cup of excellent Melbourne coffee, (just $3.99) you will get 161 entries about books, writers, publishers, bookshops, locales to visit and links to online bookshops where you can buy all titles mentioned.

Your purchase will also include regular future updates, providing more rich information on Melbourne’s literary history.

Each entry includes a slideshow and descriptive text. If the entry is for a place you can visit, maps will guide you to the literary wonders.

Narrelle created Melbourne Literary in association with San Francisco-based Sutro Media. Narrelle lives in the city centre of Melbourne, Australia, with her husband, Tim Richards, and their apartment-bound cat Petra.

For anyone coming to Aussiecon, the Australian Worldcon being held 2-6 September here in my hometown, I’ll be in several panels during the con. I’ve also been given a slot to do a reading and signing!

The confirmed spots are:

Saturday 4th September: 10am – Rm 217: Science fiction and the theatre
Science fiction and the theatre don’t seem to be the most obvious bedfellows, but science fiction has and continues to be presented on the stage from time to time. Every medium brings its own benefits and drawbacks. What are the challenges that face playwrights when creating science fiction? What can you achieve with the theatre that you can’t achieve in any other media?Robert Shearman, Alison Croggon, Narrelle M. Harris, Bob Kuhn

Sunday 5th September:

1400 – Rm 204: But this is real!
Why are we attracted to fictional horrors when real life can be so much worse?Paul Haines, Narrelle M. Harris, Gary Kemble, Chris Lawson, Carrie Vaughn

1500 Rm 212: We are all fairy tales: Doctor Who’s fifth season;
In 2010 Doctor Who returned to the screens with a new writer/producer, a new TARDIS, a new companion and a new Doctor in the form of Matt Smith. How has Doctor Who’s fifth season differed from the four seasons before it? Has the transition from Russell T Davies to Steven Moffat been a successful one? A critical review of the most significant change in
Doctor Who since it returned to TV.Kathryn Sullivan, Narrelle M. Harris, George Ivanoff, Rani Graff

Monday 6th September:1000 Rm 207: 25 things I learned from SF
How much of what you know did you get from science fiction? Chromatophores and Kuiper belts, tesseracts and teratrogens—what Newton dreamt and how anarchy might work—we’ve all received numberless infodumps. What are your favorites? Your most exotic. How has science fiction shaped your life, your worldview, and the cool stuff you spout at parties?Narrelle M Harris, Priscilla Olson, Jenny Blackford

Captivating, engaging, fun, inspiring

Narrelle is an incredibly knowledgeable, articulate and energetic presenter. That coupled with her great sense of humour made for an extremely entertaining evening. Olivia Simaitis, Waurn Ponds Library.
Book Narrelle M Harris as a speaker